As Toyota becomes more and more of an influence in motorsports, it makes we wonder what’s happened to American cars?

Toyota is now both the official passenger car of NASCAR and, with the departure of Ford at the end of last year, Toyota has become the official car of the NHRA.

I’ve heard it from the NHRA many times, “NHRA re-affirms the return-on-investment for our sponsors.” So why, then, is Ford Motor Company leaving? Why didn’t Chevrolet or another GM brand step up and pay the tally? The NHRA is one of the last remaining sanctioning bodies that Chrysler is participating in and I don’t understand why NHRA president, Tom Compton, isn’t driving an American muscle car.

It doesn’t get more Americana than NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing. It was formed in America, built by founder Wally Parks into the largest sanctioning motorsports body in the United States. But now the official car of NASCAR and the NHRA comes from Japan?

As the economy begins to grow again, and people respond by buying American, local brands are making a resurgence. So is there a place for this approach in racing?

Shouldn’t there be an American made manufacturer to represent racing, and motorsports in general? I don’t know. Toyota has been a part of the NHRA since 2002. There’s an established connection with Toyota and drag racing, particularly in the NHRA. So does this partnership signal that we are losing the sense of Americana that built the sport?

The culprit of all this is money. It’s become what makes sense in business rather than loyalty. It’s about what company’s marketing plans fit into the NHRA fan mode and meets their requirements on their investment.

For all the years Pontiac was the “Official Car of the NHRA” it served them well and we saw numerous commitments to the sport, all for its improvement. Before that, Oldsmobile.

Now with Ford’s departure, the sport will have a different face. The loss of this sponsor affects many racers and none more famous than John Force. His JFR team of Robert Hight and daughter Courtney could have a different look in 2015. Count in Bob Tasca and Tim Wilkerson as well. Tasca’s family has one of the largest Ford dealerships in New England, and has been one of the biggest supporters of the NHRA. I wonder what he is going to do?

So why aren’t any of the American car manufacturers looking at the NHRA? Have all their goals been met? Have they sold all the cars they can to the drag racing public? I don’t think so.

Just where does Madison Avenue and all those major advertising agencies find the NHRA in 2014? As American as drag racing is, why aren’t there more sponsors knocking down the NHRA racing team doors trying to improve the sport by seeing a great way to get their name out there?

Is the decision being made by a company numbers person verifying the drop of attendance? Is it the fear that fans have lost interest in the automotive aftermarket industry all together? Nope. What they gauge are TV ratings. The more people are watching, the more they can charge to advertisers for their larger audience. Currently, the NHRA is drawing a .4 or equivalent to around 500,000. NASCAR averages a 3.6 viewership or around 5. 8 million viewers.

Now we have to understand why.

The flow of funds is demanding on every American family and NHRA race fans are no different. It can’t be denied that only a few drag racing facilities packs’em in anymore. We keep hearing about the economy and in certain demographics we see empty grandstands.

That bothers me and I wonder why the greatest show on the planet isn’t lining them up at the gates. I’ve heard it’s the cost, but is it really?

What does the NHRA have to do more of to create a “must-see” event? What brought crowds in the past was Americana at its best. Remember when Big Daddy Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, and Connie Kalitta were all arguing among themselves in the 1960s and ’70s? It was the Snake vs. the Mongoose. Nicknames were rampant and fans were everywhere in full jammed grandstands watching their drag racing idols.

You just had to be at the race to see who was going to settle the score. Nowadays, you can watch the race live on ESPN3 or wait until that evening to catch it on ESPN2 or ESPN on a same day delay basis. The rivalries we used to see on the original “ABC Wide World of Sports” are gone!

I don’t want to see the NHRA take a “reality TV” approach and I appreciate how all the competitors get along. I’d never endorse fighting. But those rivalries invested the fans, like rooting for your team in any great sport.

What will it take to get the average family to leave the comforts of their home and their powerful HDTVs and drive the 40 miles to the track, perhaps shelling out over $200 for tickets?

Is it the racing that needs to improve? Does the NHRA want to slow down the cars to go back to the quarter-mile era? The fans say yes, but the competitors say no, for safety and I understand why.

Attendance is just one prong of the business side. Sponsorship and advertising investment is truly part of it. It comes down to what makes the sport of drag racing exciting for fans and a marketing team. Is it the accessibility of the stars of the sport–photo ops and autographs? The sound of power and the fierce competition compels you to the track. It’s simple…it’s about cars and cars are as Americana as Mom, apple pie and you know what else.

Out of the top 10 American companies, GEICO of No. 5 ranked Berkshire-Hathaway is the only one investing in drag racing. The other nine include four are major oil companies, (Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Phillips 66, and Valero Energy), an appliance maker (General Electric), a computer and scientific manufacturer (Apple), two major car manufacturers (General Motors and Ford) and the No. 1 company is a retail/grocery store chain that is located in almost every American city (Wal-Mart).

The marketing side of drag racing should be representing the American lifestyle and we have great car manufacturers and sponsors born in the U.S.A like the ones previously mentioned. The marketplace is open and no one is trying to prevent them from coming in. What’s missing?

If it does come down to money, could the racing organizations, car manufacturers, and potential sponsors understand that as Americans we want American products promoted in keeping the American spirit alive and well in our American motorsports?

The 30th Annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals is set to take place this weekend at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, Arizona where we’ll see the best of the best in drag racing duke it out in the desert.

John Force is looking to keep his win streak alive after having qualified first as well as winning the season opener in Pomona. John goes into Phoenix with a 50 point lead over his arch rival Matt Hagan, but that doesn’t mean he can turn on the cruise control; teammates Robert Hight and Courtney Force are also hungry for their first win of 2014.

On the Top Fuel side, a mere six points separates series leaders Khalid alBalooshi and Doug Kalitta. Our recent interview with Don Schumacher Racing driver Antron Brown reveals the gold and silver teams of Al-Anabi racing as the ones to beat this year.

Hopefully we’ll get to see plenty of clean, incident-free racing this weekend in Phoenix. If Pomona was any indicator of how this season is going to play out, we’re definitely in for a treat!

In anticipation for this weekend’s 30th Annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, we asked 2012 Mello Yello Top Fuel champion Antron Brown about his strategies for this year, how to best handle tire smoking and who he thought was his toughest competition.

Read Antron’s answers below, exclusively on The Burnout.

You were champion in 2012 and had a fantastic 2013. What new strategies will you be trying out this year to maintain your performance?

We have been working on making our entire package more efficient and consistent. So, just trying to squeeze every drop out of our package that we can, including me. That means reaction times and driving the car as straight as possible along with physical conditioning. I want to step it up to the next level.

Tire shake/smoking is one the biggest enemies in Top Fuel drag racing. When managing this, how much of it is driver input and how much is mechanical setup?

Tire smoking is caused by the tune-up and driving the car out of the groove. The driver can drive the car out of the groove and cause tire smoke too. The groove varies per track, some are wider, so I need to be on my game. Like everything else, it’s a team effort from tuning and driving to make a run straight and smooth without any mishaps.

There are a lot of talented drivers and teams this year. Who do you think will be your toughest competition?

Our toughest competition is the Al-Anabi team with AJR. They are the world champs and have been multiple times. That’s who we all are going after with (Shawn) Langdon and (Khalid) (al)Balooshi. But our DSR cars aren’t shabby either. The championship goes through those two teams.

Based on your experience, how has the sport of drag racing changed over the years?

The sport has grown in technology and competition. Just like most sports, there’s more parity. It used to be a handful of teams in each class that could win and now you have more than 10 teams that can win races and compete for a championship. It’s better for the fans.

In addition to Top Fuel dragsters, you’ve also been a world-class runner and pro-stock motorcycle driver. What’s your favorite way to go fast?

My favorite way to go fast is pressing the pedal down in my Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster, trust me. There is nothing like 10,000-hp. The bikes were fun, but there’s no comparison to the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet.

The second longest running NHRA National event, the 54th annual Circle K Winternationals, lived up to its reputation, kicking off the year with new records, new teams, and a general sense of exuberance as drivers enter the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello season. However, it also didn’t take long for the notable names to rise to the top.

FUNNY CAR

64-year old John Force continued his domination in the Funny Car category and took home a slew of records to go along with all his accolades.

Force rushed his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the top of the list in Friday’s qualifying round, posting an incredible 3.966 elapsed time at 324.12 mph to take his JFR team to the No. 1 spot. This offered his team the first leg of new National ET and Speed record, since all records have to be backed up to within 1 per cent as per the NHRA rulebook.

On Sunday, the Yorba Linda, Calif. resident defeated Paul Lee, Tommy Johnson, Jr., and Bob Tasca in eliminations before a rematch with his Pomona Finals opponent, Matt Hagan. The good-natured Force loves talking up his opponent and Hagan was no different.

Hagan is the lone driver to snap Force’s winning ways in the NHRA Auto Club Finals back in November and going into the finals in the season’s kick-off event, they met again.

The JFR flagship car showed why it was No.1 in qualifying by backing up Force’s previous quick time and on his third three-second run of the weekend, lowered the new National elapsed time record to 3.965 seconds at a speed of 323.58 mph, giving him both ends of the record and an additional 20-points for the achievement, and carving out a 50-point lead in the Funny Car points standings over Hagan.

“I get really excited racing Hagan and the ESPN announcer in the semi-round said ‘Do you see those muscles on that kid, do you think you can beat him?’ I said what is this, the WWE? We aren’t in a cage,” laughed Force, who recorded his seventh Winternationals title.

Going into the final round, the brain trust of Jimmy Prock and rest of the Castrol GTX High Mileage team put a tune-up on John’s Mustang that could’ve reversed the rotation of the earth.

“I’ve got a good race car. It is amazing and we are trying to build our sport. We are out here trying to run good for the fans. Jimmy Prock and the whole brain trust are working together,” said Force. “After the final when I got out of the car on the top end, the ESPN announcer said ‘you got him (Hagan) with all his muscles’ and I said ‘this old man didn’t, Jimmy Prock flexed his muscles by ripping off that 3.96 number,’”

Hagan was disappointed not being able to offer an encore run to take down Force, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying.

“We were just pushing hard,” Hagan said after his Dodge Charger R/T went up in tire smoke in the final round. “Force had been running 3.90s all weekend long. We knew we had to bring our A-game. He’s got a great hot rod right now but we’ve got a pretty good one too. It’s going to be a great season this year and I can’t wait to battle it out and turn on some more win lights.”

TOP FUEL

In Top Fuel, Khalid alBalooshi drove his Alan Johnson-led Al-Anabi dragster winning his third Top Fuel event of his career and first Winternationals Wally while taking down No.1 Qualifier, Doug Kalitta in the final round.

alBalooshi, now residing in Los Angeles, has quickly adapted to his Top Fuel ride. In the finals, he felt his dragster losing a bit of traction, but quickly reacted, keeping it straight and hitting the throttle again with full traction enabling an off-pace time of 3.974 seconds, running a speed of 324.36 mph. alBalooshi was the No. 7 qualifier with a time of 3.774 seconds.

“I am so excited. There is nothing better than to leave the first race of the season with the first trophy,” grinned alBalooshi. “Thanks to Jason (crew chief Jason McCulloch) and everybody on our team; they have been working very hard, and I thank everyone for his hard work on our car; I thank Sheikh Khalid for giving me the opportunity to drive his car; I am happy we could make him proud today.”

The three-time winner had to dispose of Tony Schumacher, his teammate, Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and in the finals, Kalitta.

“The Al-Anabi car had a strong day today,” said alBalooshi. “It’s a good win, especially when you have Tony Schumacher first round, Shawn Langdon second round, and ‘Steve-O’ (Torrence), who’s been doing a good job. Doug’s (Kalitta) car was the best car all weekend, so it made it a very big day for us to take him down in the final and get the trophy.

“Last year, our car started to get better and better. I felt like our car was better down in Florida (in preseason testing), and I’ve been telling people, ‘I think we have a hot rod to start the season with.’ I feel like our car got better and better and better each round. When I won the first round against Tony, I felt like my day was open.”

The Sunday victory has propelled alBalooshi atop of the Top Fuel points standings (113) with a six-point lead over Kalitta (107), and a 38-point lead over Spencer Massey (75) and Steve Torrence (75), which are tied for third on the roster.

PRO STOCK

The Pro Stock final saw Jason Line race to the finish in a close side-by-side battle over the popular V Gaines taking his 32nd National event win.

Line, of Mooresville, NC, wanted to deliver the Winternationals Wally to his best friend and Ken Black racing teammate, Greg Anderson, who underwent heart surgery and will miss probably the first six races. Anderson was recuperating in a Charlotte hospital watching via ESPN3 on his computer. It was the first time in both Line’s and Anderson’s career one of them was absent from the track.

“It’s a huge deal to start off the year like this, and I didn’t want to lose to an ‘ugly Dodge,’ ” joked Line. “But in all seriousness, this is a big deal for the Summit Racing team and our Chevrolet Camaros. We worked hard over the winter, and I think we really made some progress. The sport is crazy competitive right now, but we’re certainly off to a good start.

“The KB Racing team was great this weekend. We all pitched in and worked together, and Jimmy Alund [who will drive Anderson’s Summit Racing Camaro for the first six events] was a great help as well. He’s a very capable guy and was certainly an asset to us this weekend, there’s no question.”

Line, tuned by crew chiefs Rob Downing and Tim Freeman, had a strong car from the start with his Summit Racing Camaro – remarkably, the same car that he crashed in testing late last season in Rockingham – and entered eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier based on a best time of 6.514-second at 212.63 mph.

Line defeated Matt Hartford, Dave Connolly, and Shane Gray before his final round matchup against the Denver, Co.-based Gaines.

The pair left the Christmas Tree quickly in arrears and Line barely outmuscled his Mopar opponent with his best run of the day – 6.526 seconds, 212.06 mph to Gaines nearly matching time of 6.533 seconds, 212.56 mph giving Line a slim .010 of a second margin of victory.

“I talked to Greg this morning, and he gave me strict instructions,” said Line, who joined the KB Racing team, a group that now owns 104 event titles, in 2004. “When I finally get to talk to him tonight, I’m pretty sure he’ll be happy with me. This is really cool, and I’m glad Greg is getting better. I’m forever indebted to him for giving me the opportunity so many years ago that nobody else would have.”

The next NHRA National event will be in two weeks at the newly renovated Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals in nearby Phoenix on February 21 – 23.

The 54th Circle K NHRA Winternationals wrapped up without a hitch this past weekend, filled with good news for the John Force Racing camp, starting with an announcement on Friday that PEAK Antifreeze and BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid will be multi-year, major associate sponsors. John then went on to set an unofficial ET record of 3.966s and top speed record of 324.12 mph in round two of qualifying that same day, placing him in the top qualifying spot with teammate Robert Hight taking the No. 2 position with a 3.996s pass at 317.94 mph.

When it came to race day, John Force was unstoppable. He battled through three elimination rounds to face off against Matt Hagan in the finals, a repeat of the final race from the 2013 season. This time, the results would be different from last year as Hagan smoked the tires, while Force rocketed down the track to his 139th win with a record ET of 3.965 seconds, resetting his unofficial record from Friday.

Force’s win wasn’t a walk in the park as there were plenty of drivers and teams at the top of their game. Nine of the 12 races in the three professional categories were decided by 0.075 seconds or less during the quarterfinal round. Matt Hagan’s match-up against Robert Hight during second round eliminations was racing at its best as they both had nearly identical reaction times, running side by side down the track with Hagan taking the win by a body clip, crossing the finish line a mere 0.002 seconds before Hight. Alexis DeJoria also made history as the first female Funny Car driver to run in the three second zone with her Patron XO Cafe Toyota Camry Funny Car.

Khalid alBalooshi piloted his Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel dragster to his third career win, defeating Doug Kalitta with a subdued 3.974 ET at 324.36 mph, rounding out a weekend of clean and close racing; Ron Capps was the only driver to suffer a catastrophic engine failure, blowing off the roof of his NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car.

Here are the final round results from Sunday’s 54th Annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California:

The first race of the 2014 NHRA season takes place this weekend in Pomona, California with the 54th annual Circle K Winternationals and we’re asking our readers to predict who the Mello Yello series champions will be at the end of this year.

Tommy Johnson, Jr. will have “Make a Wish” on the side of his race car, but in his eyes, it was his wish that came true.

Johnson already has an impressive career that began in 1993. He won the season-opening NHRA Winternationals in 2005 driving for Snake Racing, collecting with the collection of the sixth of his nine Pro wins. He’s a member of the elite 300 mph and 4-second clubs, joining Hall-of-Famers, Eddie Hill, Joe Amato, Don Prudhomme, and Kenny Bernstein as members. But the last few years have seen him driving vehicles that fail to showcase his true talents. He’s been a journeyman driver, filling in when necessary. But now, for the first time since 2008, he has a new chance to become a champ.

When Johnny Gray retired from his present ride, Gray’s sister, Terry Chandler, stepped up to sponsor Johnson’s ride endorsing the Make-A-Wish foundation with Don Schumacher Racing. Johnson was then tabbed for the driver’s seat back in October. He can’t wait to get back to the grind of NHRA drag racing. Johnson last drove a Funny Car in fall ’08 for then owner Kenny Bernstein. That’s eons in drag race time and Johnson feels a little like a beginner. Again.

“Sometimes,” smiled Johnson. “There are certain things. You feel like you fell back to your rookie day, like been there and done that. It’s brought back a little bit of memory of those days. But for the most part, you feel like a veteran rookie.”

It’s not that Johnson stopped being a part of the business; but few of his more recent rides showcased his true driving talents. He wondered if he would ever get another opportunity for a championship caliber ride and it weighed heavy on his mind.

“Yeah, every day; you wonder every day,” said a relieved Johnson, winner of nine NHRA professional nitro events. “Especially the first year, okay, it was tough times economy wise. It’s hard to put a sponsorship package together and get in a car. This second year, okay, it’s getting a little tougher, but it’s been five years since I ran full time in 2008 with Kenny Bernstein. So there was definitely some doubt along the way. But my love for the sport and just everybody asking me all the time what would you do if you didn’t drive race cars, and that isn’t an option. It’s the only thing I’ve ever done, and the will to get back here. You get tired of hearing no. But if you want to do something bad enough, you put your mind to it, and you continue to put your head down and work towards that goal, and that’s what I did.

“I just never gave up. It would have been easy to give up several times along the way. But it’s what I want to do and my desire to do that paid off and the persistence. But to answer your question, every day I wondered, I don’t know if I’m ever going to get this shot. I did a lot of part time stuff, but a full time ride, I didn’t know if we’d get back there. But I stuck around, and fought hard and did all the right things. Just stayed there and kept in front of people, and kept in the forepart of their mind. When an opportunity came available, it finally happened this year. Don Schumacher was kind enough to give me that chance again.”

“I’ve managed to be able to stay in cars off and on throughout those five years,” said Johnson. “It’s not like I got out of the car and haven’t been in one since, so that’s helped me a lot. Just to keep up to speed and the technology and some of the different things that evolve over the years in driving the cars. Different things change and little different techniques, so that I’m okay with. But it’s just getting back into the grind of the Tour and all the appearance commitments, and then when it’s time to get in the car and concentrate.

“That is one of the harder things for a driver, I believe, is keeping that focus. Your job is to drive the race car and do a great job and win races, but there is a lot that goes into that as far as appearances and other things. So keeping the focus and getting back there that when the engine starts you’re 100% focused on doing the best job you can. So I think a couple races, we’ll be back in the swing of it. It came back pretty quick in testing. As soon as they dropped the body, I felt like they dropped the body in the ’09 season after the ’08 full year. So it came back naturally.”

His longevity in the sport is attached to his ability to not only drive, but to work on all parts of a race car and tune it if necessary.

“It’s something I’ve always prided myself on–having a really good feel for the race car and what the car is doing,” said Johnson. “Driving by the seat of your pants as far as feel and sound of the engine and the car now comes naturally. Even in testing, the very first run I made in the car I said it did this, it did that. It moved here, I felt this. So that is a little bit of what I think I can bring. I feel like that will help along the way. I can’t even count how many runs I’ve made in a Nitro car over the years. I think once you gain that experience and get that feel for the car; that is something you don’t ever lose.”

Johnny Gray had four wins last year in his DSR Pitch Energy Dodge; Johnson feels he’s capable of winning right up front. But does that put any extra pressure on him to succeed this year?

“No, I mean, it’s a very good team” expressed Johnson. “Getting back full time is one thing, but to get back with an organization like Don Schumacher Racing and to know that you have the cars and the resources and the people there that are capable of winning, it gives you a great opportunity. I think you put pressure on yourself no matter what situation you’re in. But to know that you have the car that is capable of winning races and not only winning races, they’ve won championships here in the past few years. So to go out there and have that shot at a competitive car and have a shot at a championship, definitely the goal as you start the season is to win races, make the Countdown, and to strive for that championship. I don’t know that there’s anymore added pressure. But it’s certainly a lot because it is a high profile team, and that is the goal that I was shooting for. I’m going to get all the pressure I asked for. “

Certain races carry prestige and starting the season off with both is something the former Ottumwa, Iowa resident knows can point your season in the right direction.

“On the tour there are those special races,” said Johnson. “Of course, Indy and Englishtown has been a neat race because of the history there. But Pomona is the kickoff of the season. For crew guys, it’s what uniform is that guy wearing, and all the new paint schemes coming out. Like at Pomona, we’re going to debut the Make-A-Wish paint scheme, and just a neat charity to be involved with. Terry Chandler is going to fund the team this year and wanted to put a charity on the car, and to have Make A Wish on our car is such a big deal to have all that happen at Pomona and to see everybody’s cars get unveiled.

“In 2005 I was able to win Pomona Winter Nationals, and my dad was there. It’s history. Our sport has a lot of history. To be able to win one of the big ones like the Winter Nationals, to me, it’s one of the big ones. It’s one that’s on the Tour that every year you look forward to. To kick off the season with a win and you’re the guy leading the points, there is something special about that every year. It would be different if I had joined the tour maybe mid-season and I got a job driving a car. I’ve done that before. I started with Joe Gibbs Racing in the middle of the season. It wasn’t a dramatic interest; it was just another race on the Tour in the middle of summer. But to start the Tour back full time with Don Schumacher Racing, and driving for Terry Chandler, and debuting Make-A-Wish at the Winternationals, it doesn’t get any bigger than that to me.”

Spencer Massey says, “It’s all about winning the championship.” For last three NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel countdowns, Massey has been directly in the mix, inches away from taking it all. This year, he’s reaching for the ultimate position.

The always enthusiastic Massey is more determined than ever to not let chances slip away this year, to work even harder so that he and his Schumacher Electric Top Fuel team can finally win their first NHRA championship.

“That’s the question of my lifetime,” laughed Massey. “What’s it going to take to win races, what’s it going to take to win championships. It’s kind of hard to put into words and something you have to do, and try and believe in to give it that one hundred and forty seven percent of whatever it will take.

“Right now, I can’t see that I want to change too much from what we’ve done because in the past three years this team has done exceptionally well. We finished in the top five (in the points) all three seasons. But we haven’t actually accomplished what we set out to do and the goal is to win championships. Our pursuit on every level is in me, the race car, team and that means Todd (Okuhara) and Phil (Shuler). Phil is my crew chief and Todd is the overseer of all of the Don Schumacher Racing cars in the organization. It’s still his baby, still his car. We push our team, our chassis, and our crew to get every bit we can to the extent we can. “

Testing recently in Palm Beach, the normally front running Massey ran very productive elapsed times of 3.77 and 3.79 seconds, but despite the consistency, he knows there’s more to come.

“At Palm Beach we were testing different things, more or less to step up and try to run with the Al-Anabi cars, and to run with Tony (Schumacher) and Antron (Brown),” said Massy, the 14-time NHRA winner. “Those two are running extremely well. Tony ran a 3.76 in testing and Antron ran 3.73. We only put together a string of 3.79s, but we’re testing some new stuff. We’re getting to learn off these new parts.

“By doing what we’re doing in testing and trying different things now; that’s what it’s going to take. If we stay status quo like we have the last three years, we’re not going to move forward in our sport. To accomplish what we want to and move forward we need to try new things, start innovating new things and that’s what a lot of great people have done in this sport like an Alan Johnson. He’s been such an innovator in this sport. That’s what Phil and Todd are trying to do as well. We can design stuff ourselves and try and get this race car to perform like it should. Hopefully it will outperform every other race car we line up against. “

Massey has won 14 NHRA National Top Fuel events and in 2013 claimed four Wallys. He finished second in the Mello Yello points in 2011, third in 2012, and fourth last year. In reality, the Schumacher Electric car is improving, but just not getting the breaks of the game.

“You can mess up one thousandths of a second and lose a race and then end up losing a championship,” sighed Massey. “You could stay status quo and think your tune up and chassis and your parts are okay for all these other runs, well hold on. After so long, you’re going to have someone come up with something better. Something better might be faster and if it’s faster, you’re getting your butt kicked. So that’s not going to work either. It’s constantly evolving, constantly changing the sport. You have to stay on top of it as a driver and as a crew chief.”

Massey was riding high by entering the Countdown No.2 and after runner up finish after the first race at Charlotte, he held the points lead. Unfortunately, he suffered three first round losses later (St. Louis, Las Vegas and Pomona2) and two of those were in the last two races of the season, dropping him to No.4 in 2013.

“That’s pretty much the way it went after that,” said Massey, whose quickest ET is 3.728 seconds. “It’s very uncharacteristic for our team and our race car. But you look at the draw in those last two races and both were against Brittany Force. Just goes to show you how every driver is improving because at the first of the year, we had her number in round wins. Then the table turns and she starts beating us and that’s the situation that happens. But then again, we found ourselves behind the eight-ball because we weren’t evolving fast enough and changing stuff fast enough where we should have been and that’s what’s we’re doing right now. We’re trying to do anything and everything it takes looking at every option there is to turn the screws on every part of the race car to get it to run a little better. Every pound counts, every thousandths of a second counts and that’s what’s its going to take to win the Mello Yello Top Fuel championship.”

In 2009, Massey learned from some the best in the business under the guidance of Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme. Massey immersed himself in the business and the car and learned what to do and what not to do on and off the track.

“The Snake was a tremendous influence,” said Massey. “We know Don Prudhomme loves to win whether he was driving a race car or as a car owner. He wants to see that car win. He’s only lived and breathed drag racing his entire life, it all he knows. Just saw him and the Mongoose (Tom McEwen) on Barrett-Jackson putting up his Hot Wheels cars and trucks for bidding with Rick Hendricks taking both of them home. The Snake loves being around the sport of drag racing. He’s a great guy in general just to have fun with and race.”

Through the Snake’s tutelage, Massey won 2009 rookie honors taking the NHRA Southern California Auto Club’s Road to the Future award over, Shawn Langdon and Matt Hagan, also in his rookie class.

He’s more involved than ever and has a say in what the car needs and transfers that information over to crew chief, Phil Shuler.

“If the car shakes the tires or pulling one way, that’s pretty much my input,” expressed the 32-year old native of Ft. Worth Texas. “Now if I can suggest something because I have been around these cars long enough working on them, even try to tune on them and so forth. I do have some input on it.

“My job is to do it the same way every time. Be the first off the starting line; make sure my fuel is exactly right every time. I pack the chutes; make sure all the proper safety equipment is on board. If my crew needs any help I can turn some wrenches and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. Their job is to tune the race car and they do an awesome job or else I wouldn’t be in the top five three seasons in a row.

In preparation for the NHRA Mello Yello season, most drivers have a regiment for their personal fitness program. In Massey’s case, he stays in shape by being in race mode 365 days a year.

“A lot of people in the drag racing world know how short our off season can be with testing in January,” Massey stated. “We just got back from a whole week of testing. So, we really only have a month a half off. Most people would sit home and relax and do their workout routine.

“Well, I try to work on race cars. Every day I’m back in Texas I’m working on a Pro Mod car, or an A Fuel Alcohol Dragster and I’m getting my hands dirty. I was working on an injected Nitro dragster this afternoon. It’s something I love to do. Yeah, I try to stay fit. I eat right and I keep my mind sharp by keeping my head in racing.”

Massey is keenly aware of whom to be on the lookout for this season and who will be his toughest competition.

“If I had to predict my biggest competition, it’s the same names. It’s Shawn Langdon and Alan Johnson, that‘s a tough team. Langdon is great on the startling line and on the other hand is my teammates to contend with. Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown and Langdon are the guys you have to watch out for this year. The No.1 person on my mind is our self. We can beat ourselves just as easy with simple mistakes in 2014 and turn the win light against us.

In his 20th season of NHRA Drag Racing, Ron Capps drives into 2014 with the same sure-minded passion he’s exhibited for the last 10 years with the Don Schumacher Racing NAPA Dodge team.

He knows the game of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing and despite never winning a formal championship, the radiance he shows on and off the track is undiminished.

So that leads to the proverbial question: What does Ron Capps need to do to win his first Funny Car championship? The Vista, Calif. resident has been runner-up in the Funny Car standings four times: 1998, 2000, 2005, and 2012.

“You know, it’s funny now because in this era of the playoff-style atmosphere that we have been going through the NHRA with the Countdown and of course, NASCAR with their Chase, we’ve seen the changes to the format, trying to improve, just different scenarios of trying to make excitement for the fans and winning a championship has sort of really become ‘Who has the hot car for the last four or five races,’” said Capps.

“It actually has taken a little bit of the shine off of winning a championship, because obviously, back then you had to do all year long. You had to start off hot and had to sustain that and if you slowed a little bit, you couldn’t struggle for very long. We used to see John Force dominate and wrap up a championship early.”

His fan appeal increases every year, and Capps remains a spokesman for always making the sport better for the fans. It’s that fan support that keeps Capps motivated to win his first title.

“You get the support of the media and fans saying things like ‘you’re due to win’ or ‘does it hurt to have so many runner-ups?” said Capps. “I consider myself so lucky to be in a spot where I could be even No. 2 at times. As bad as I want to win not to say that I’m okay with it, but there are a lot of drivers would almost jokingly give away a limb to have a chance to wake up Sunday morning at Pomona in November and have a chance that day of winning a championship.

“I’ve been there several times and it’s a great feeling. I can’t change anything to try and win a championship. I don’t think (crew chief Rahn) Tobler, none of the team guys can do anything different and I feel it just has to happen. I’ve been hot at the beginning of the year; I’ve seen our team be hot at the end of the year. It’s a strange thing now that the regular season becomes less important.

“You’re trying to win more for your sponsor during the regular season because the points will come with it and gets you in the Countdown. There’s really not much doing in the regular season other than trying to win races. On that side note, which would be a great thing for NHRA to do is to make winning races during the regular season a much better thing for the Countdown, where it adds points and can move you up quicker in the championship. To answer your question, you got to make sure you have your act together at the U.S. Nationals; race that race because right after that race the Countdown starts and you better have your ducks lined up in a row.

“If it never happens, I’m okay with it. I’ve had a heck of a career. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen, but I have been pretty lucky to have a lot of Wallys.”

The 41-time Funny Car winner and his NAPA Dodge team have taken a positive stride forward in 2014. In preseason testing, he led the two-day sessions with the quickest elapsed time of the weekend at 4.003 seconds.

“That’s always nice to get a good start,” said a relaxed Capps. “You spend most of your off season thinking of ways to get better than you did before. You’re building new little trick parts, developing new little gadgets, things to make you better.

“Then everybody gets to Palm Beach for testing and usually you’re too good at the beginning and everyone is smoking the tires. It was different this year. A cold front came in and we saw conditions we only see at places like Reading, Pa., where records are set. Yeah, it was very cold, but our team did a great job. We tested what we wanted to test and got that out of the way earlier in the week. On the weekend, Tobler said we’re putting our game face on, the one we’re going to put on at Pomona in a couple of weeks. It was ‘let’s get ready to race’ and we came out with a 4.04 and later that night with a 4.00 on Friday.”

Sensing they would be satisfied with their previous runs and on Saturday work on repeating the consistency in his race car, this determined bunch of drag racers wanted more and went for it.

“Saturday was ‘let’s run 3.95’,” laughed Capps. “Let’s go quicker than we’ve ever gone before. Let’s make this the quickest run ever. Tobler surely wanted to make a statement on Saturday and unfortunately, the track wouldn’t hold it.

“To be honest with you, I admire their effort and after Friday’s runs, even if we had run a 4.01 on Saturday, it would have been a little disappointing since we were trying to go quicker. Rahn told me before the run on Saturday morning that we were getting after it and see what kind of statement we could make. We were pushing it pretty hard.”

That hard driving style reflects on his personal life as well. He had a love for live rock ‘n roll music and that is something that has propelled this driver from Backstage to the Winner’s Circle on more than a few occasions.

“Every year, I try to line up the NHRA schedule first of all with what is going on with the NASCAR team and my new NAPA teammate, Chase Elliott, on Dale Jr.’s Nationwide team,” said Capps. “I try to figure out schedule-wise where either I can get them to a NHRA race, or more importantly, me get to one of their races and hang out with the team.

“At the same time I sit down and figure out who’s playing where and try to get a hold of someone I know and work it out where I can go see the concert.

“The last few years, every time I would get to a concert prior to a race, I’d end up winning the race that weekend. Before the Charlotte race before the Countdown two years ago, I went to Atlanta for a festival starring Shine Down and bunch of other bands and then the next day, I won the race. Then the next year at Atlanta, I won after going to see Seether and Nickelback the night before for my first time at Atlanta Dragway

“Then it became a fun kind of trend and as everyone knows I love going to see live music and it’s my favorite fun passion. So when I can mix it in with a race weekend I do and the one thing I especially love to do is taking care of my crew guys. They give me the best hot rod in the world. Taking them backstage at a rock show to meet the band, is so cool, just so they can enjoy the time since they work so hard. “

Bringing bands to the track is something Capps has been doing for years with friends help and the look of some of rock’s biggest names and their faces of astonishment at the sound of 8,000 horsepower taking off is something Capps will never forget.

“It’s like that every time,” said Capps. “I just tweeted the photo last week of when the Scorpions came to Denver on Throwback Thursday. All the rock guys, as big as they are, the most impressive thing you can do is to take them to an NHRA race and down to the starting line. Because they love the feeling of everything that it brings. The roar, the shaking, the vibration, the excitement, it’s everything they are use to. For someone like a big rock star who is used to playing in front of thousands of people on stage, you really need to show’em something to impress them. It never fails. It blows them away when you take them to a drag race. They always tell me, it’s one of their favorite things to stand up there. It’s always been a pleasure to bring someone that you admire up there and it’s like going backstage for us. It’s where all the action is.”